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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. mate — a partner
  5. mug — a cup
  6. mate — a friend
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. row — a line
  9. rock — music
  10. row — to paddle
  11. bat — the animal
  12. face — to point toward
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. kick — in football
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. mug — a face
  17. face — part of the head
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. face — to confront
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. mate — to breed
  23. rock — a stone
  24. mug — to rob

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com